I have been thinking tonight about previous blizzards that I remember. Right now this one isn't nearly as bad as some I can remember, but give it time. It is those ones who come so quickly that are bad. One year 1956, I was in eighth grade, we had a lot of storms, the road east of our farm home had cuts that were above the height of the car almost the entire mile. I think at one point they had to bring in the national guard that year to help clear snow. There was a really bad blizzard in 1966, some place I should have some photos of that one. The blizzard of 1941 is before my time, but it is significant too. Many people lost their lives in that one. It just didn't work to get out and walk, you could miss the mark by inches and keep going. Rose Potulny was in that storm and wrote about it. When Jacqui was a baby, she was sick and we took her to Dr. Hilts one night, and on the way home we went into the ditch (actually into a cut on the side of the road.) It was on the road between Starkweather and Hampden and by the house that Chuck now lives in........ We had to stay in Mpls an extra night because of blizzard up here when we were on our way home from Florida....The last year that my mom was with us, we had one of those quick storms, I wanted to go see her on Christmas eve but she encouraged me to stay home(they were warning about a storm), and it hit hard and fast, so I was glad I was at home, her neighbors blest her and she spent the evening with them.......Then the one night when i was going home from working at Monkey Shines in Devils Lake, the storm hit after I had left town, and I couldn't see anything except the white line on the road, I saw lights at Garske and drove in and stayed with Erickstads.....We also got stranded in Minnesota on our way home from Mpls. Kati and her mom and sister were with us. They closed the highway. It stormed at home and people stayed in Cando that night after a basketball game.....I remember the day the announcement came over the tv, they were looking for Bennet Stapleton, he had taken his brother to the train, beautiful night. No heavy jacket, and on the way home he got on the wrong road, got stuck,possibly stormy and he was there for several day before they found him. He survived.... I think the weather forcasting is causing people to be more careful. So be careful. Mom
Here are some photos from various Christmas times together. This was a year when Don and Ann must have been with us and also Grant and Lucille. 
This is our first Christmas, we had only been married a few months and barely living in our home. I really think that my Grandma and cousins were with us, but I don't seem to find a photo. What I remember is this. I was a Christian and God was prompting me that we were to read something about Christmas before we opened our gifts. That had never happened in my home as a child. I had this tract from Lutheran Bible Institute and so be fore we started opening gifts, I said that I wanted to read this to them. I remember feeling nervous about doing that, but still knew that inside of me I was to do it. I remember my Grandma afterwards telling me she really appreciated my doing that. I know it was what God wanted me to do and we have continued since that time reading the Christmas story to our family. It depends on who is with us and their ages, just how we do it. Sometimes from a Children's book. I remember one year Jack and I and the children were alone and we acted out the story. I think Julie was about three at that time. During the years that my parents were able to be with us. They would spend one Christmas with Ann and one with us. In earlier years Don and Ann would come to Hampden some years. I see photos that show Grand and Lucille with us, too. We were together with my family on Christmas eve and with Grandpa and Grandma Neidlinger for Christmas Day. I think you all remember Grandma O'Briens last Christmas, I wanted to go see her on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, but they were predicting a storm and she told me she didn't want me to come. It did hit and so hard that you couldn't see anything in the yard even. She was invited downstairs to be with her neighbors and the next day her high school friend Clara Fawcett invited her to her home in Devils Lake. I was very thankful to be at home, there were people who were stranded in their cars that night.
This photo is taken in the O'Brien house, you should all recognize it. I think that they tried to take photos of us to remember the day. But I think we were alone for Christmas eve. I don't remember any great amount of gifts. Actually rather simple compared to today. We looked forward to the box from our Uncle and Aunt in Washington. They had a store and probably sent items from there, I think I may still have some things from them. I think we probably spent Christmas day with Uncle harry and Aunt Beatrice, Matt and Mavis and girls, or sometimes that Uncle Clarence and Aunt Eva came with our cousins. When ever Uncle harry and family came, my dad usually gave the men haircuts some time while they were there. One year they were with us for either Christmas or New Years and a blizzard came up and they stayed over night with us. As to gifts, my parents usually got us one nice thing. I remember the year they gave us clock radios, they were really nice ones and we had them for many years.
I have been thinking about Christmas and so here are some thoughts. I don't really remember much about my early Christmas, I think we were by ourselves, though pictures do show us with family. But I think that happened on Christmas day. I treasure this photo of me with my Grandpa and Grandma. It was taken in front of a window to give light, there weren't flash at that time, or atleast my family didn't have such. I found this photo of Jack when he was a baby, if you look closely they have set the Christmas tree outside, so they would have light enough to take the photo. I can't tell you anything about his Christmas, there are very few photos. His family was small too.
It was the Sunday afternoon nap, I am not sure who is sleeping the most, but Brutus moves from near one of us to the other. Do you think the cat is a bit spoiled?
Today was a busy day, Dad and I drove to Park River, to meet Julie. She got a ride in an airplane with her instructor and they took the air plane back to Bismarck. It was getting dark when I took this photo.
